Lost and Found
by I'll Break Your Heart
Summary: It was supposed to be easy. Just return the headphones back to Neku. But something held her back. She didn't know what, but something did...ONESHOT


**These two…..I love them so much! Happy Post-Thanksgiving people!**

Weren't those?

Shiki bent down and picked up the headphones. She turned them in her hands, examining them. It couldn't be…

Neku's headphones.

She looked around, hoping to spot him in the large crowds of Shibuya. People pushed and passed her, men at work and girls in school uniforms, but no sign of a guy with orange spiky hair.

She looked back down at the headphones. This was the first time she saw them up close and not on Neku's head. She ran her hand over the CAT logo on the side of it. She always imagined the phones to be heavy and clunky so Shiki was surprised to feel how light they were. Not to mention that they actually looked pretty cool. Wireless too.

Neku just wouldn't take these off without a reason Shiki thought. He must've lost them. Carefully, she slung them over her neck.

"Just until I find him," she added to Mr. Mew as she took off down the street. But even though she looked for what seemed to be an hour, there was no sign of him. Sighing in defeat, she returned home. The headphones still slung around her neck.

But they weren't there when she met up with the gang that weekend. She had forgotten them by accident.

"Phones, where's yo phones?"

The question Shiki was too nervous to ask was asked by Beat as they ate their ice cream that day.

"Forgot to put them on." Neku said simply. He took a bite of his ice cream. A surprised look came over his face.

"That's good."

"Bwaaaah! Neku complimenting ice cream? I gotta try this."

The conversation was dropped after this as Beat shouted "Bwaaaaah! Why is it salty yo?!" But sometimes Neku would cup his ear, as if the real noise outside was too loud for him. The others noticed this, but choose to remain quiet. Even Beat could tell that it wasn't the right time to address the "elephant in the room," as Rhyme called it later.

But Shiki still had the headphones.

It kept her up at night sometimes. Should she return them? Should she keep them? Should she tell Neku she had them? An uneasy guilt had begun to eat at her.

Maybe he really did lose them but didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Maybe he was secretly searching everyday for his lost phones. Maybe….

"Here."

Shiki picked her head up from her desk. A smiling Eri offered her a can of coffee.

"You look like you need it. School right? Can you believe that test? I'm so glad we studied together or else I would've screwed up big time."

Shiki nodded, gladly accepting the coffee.

"But," Eri said, "I don't think it was the test that was bothering you right?" Detective strikes again.

Shiki nodded.

"So then talk to me! Don't keep it bundled up!"

There was a moment's hesitation before Shiki began to speak.

"Well…. um…if you had something that was important and…. you kinda lost it and someone found it…. and if you were that someone who found that lost item…but if you were the person who lost the item and acted like you didn't need it…but if you as the person who found the item felt bad because you don't know whether or not to bring it back…. what would you do?"

Eri blinked at her in confusion. "Um, I think you're asking me two questions there."

"Sorry." Shiki said, taking a sip of the coffee. The bitterness seemed to be making her thirstier than less, but there was something a bit addicting about drinking it. Must've been the after taste.

"Well, I think if I was the person who lost the item I would at least like to know where it had gone, and if I was the person who found the item I would just return it to the person who had lost that item." Eri answered carefully.

"O…kay."

"Hey you're the one who asked the question I'm just providing answers!" Eri answered in a false angry tone. She then grinned.

"Cheer up Shiki. No matter what it's you're choice so don't let it stress you out."

Her choice.

Her lack of choice kept her up at night. Worrying.

She sat up in her bed. Awkwardly grabbing for her glasses, she raised them and placed them on her face. The room focused into vision.

Night. It was night already. Shiki didn't even bother to check the time. Instead she pushed herself out of her bed and took a few steps to her closet. Carefully pulling out an outfit, she changed out of her pajamas then walked to the bathroom and switched on the lights. She looked at her reflection.

A walk. A midnight stroll. That's what she needed. She needed time to think. Also staying in bed doing nothing made her feel bored. Even if that "nothing" was a case of extreme worry.

She stepped outside, cell phone in hand and headphones around her neck. She didn't know why, but she had grabbed the phones instinctively. It was as if she didn't realize she had them until they were around her neck.

She walked down the streets of Shibuya, keeping an eye out for late night drunks or muggers. She didn't know how long she was walking until she ended up at-

"Hachiko." She whispered to herself. The place where she had met Neku all those weeks ago. She looked around. No signs of any drunks or muggers.

Hachiko, forever faithful, was silent in the Shibuya night as Shiki walked over to a bench. She sat down and sighed.

The headphones. What was she going to do with the headphones? The same questions rushed through her mind again. It was such an easy solution. Just give the phones back to Neku! Normally, something as small as this she would've done a long time ago but-

But, this was Neku. And something seemed to keep her away from returning the phones to him. Why? Why was it so hard to return something that meant so much to him? Why couldn't she return it?

She raised a hand to finger the phones around her neck. She had forgotten they were there actually. Her fingers stroked the phones softly as she stared blindly ahead.

Maybe, she didn't want Neku to have these back.

Bringing her other hand up, she slowly brought the headphones up and over her ears. She blinked.

Silence. Just silence. Whatever midnight city noise was blocked out by the phones. All the outside noise seemed to vanish. Even the sound of her own breathing was muffled.

Was this Neku's world? This quietness? This nothingness?

Shiki slowly closed her eyes. In a way, the silence was calming. The noise had vanished and seemed to make her own thoughts sharper. But still….

It was lonely. All alone, even though she knew there were people outside the phones, when she closed her eyes she felt alone.

Was this Neku's world? Before the Game? Before he met them? Wasn't this…. sad?

She remained like that, her eyes closed and the headphones still over her ears.

_"Cold cake, cold break _

_Freak got a high kick_

_Mr. Twister-" _

The sudden burst of music though woke her up. She opened her eyes shocked. This song was-

Wait, why?

She looked to her side.

Neku was sitting there, MP3 in one of his hands. She stared at him. He looked up at her. He reached over and gently tapped the phones as if saying, "listen then we'll talk."

Shiki still stared at him, her eyes wide. The sing "Twister" played through the phones.

So now he knew. Shiki didn't know what to feel. Embarrassed? Scared? Apologetic? If she had to be honest, all she felt was shock. Just plain shock.

Even after the song ended, Shiki kept on looking at Neku. It wasn't until he reached over and lifted the phones over her ears did she snap out of it.

"Why are you-? How did you-? Um…I'm really sorry!" Shiki said quickly. Neku frowned.

"Why?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Your phones, I had them the whole time," Shiki explained quickly. "Found them on the ground and I was going to return them but…you seemed different and….I just, just….I don't know." She said quickly, her face feeling warm.

A silence passed over them. Shiki couldn't help but feel shocked at how real everything sound outside the headphones. With music, the phones served their purpose. But to be worn everyday just to hear that…. that nothingness seemed more of a curse than a blessing.

"I left them there on purpose." Neku finally said. Shiki blinked.

"What?"

"The phones." He answered, looking up. "I took them off and left them there on purpose."

"B-but why? I though they were really important to you."

"They are but," Neku pulled up his collar. "They were also holding me back."

"Back from what?" Shiki asked, carefully edging her way to Neku.

"Holding me back from…you guys."

"From us?" she asked, her hand resting on top of his.

"It was hard to hear you guys with it on." He said. Shiki blinked. She then laughed.

"Oh Neku," she said, smiling. "So you just dropped them on the streets? You could've just left them at your house." She chuckled. "Must you do everything in the extreme?"

"You're one to talk." She heard Neku mumble to her. She smiled.

"You didn't need to give these up altogether though." She said, handing the phones to Neku. He took them and stared at them.

"I don't need them." He said slowly. He looked up then continued.

"I don't need them anymore. But I can't…." He took a deep breath.

"I can't…detach myself from them. That's why I left it in the street. I wanted to let go of it. But sometimes…"

He dropped the phones. They clattered on the ground. He lifted the hand that was not under Shiki's up to his ear.

"If the world ends with me, then it also begins with me." He looked up at Shiki.

"Right?"

Shiki nodded, a smile still on her face.

"Right."

Sadly withdrawing her hand from Neku's, she bent down and picked up the phones.

"Still," she said. "It would be a waste just to let these be thrown away." She faced Neku and grinned.

"Want to unite the dog and the cat?" she asked mysteriously.

Neku looked at her confused. "Huh?"

Shiki smiled. "You'll see."

Walking over, she stood on her toes and draped the headphones around Hachiko. She turned to face Neku.

"Uniting the cat and the dog. Mission successful." She grinned.

"Heh." Neku chuckled as he stood up and stretched.

"Shiki."

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Shiki glanced over at Neku. Walking over to him, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"No problem, Neku."

**Felt the TWEWY urge for some time now but couldn't think up a good theme, So here it is! Also props to anyone who got the Kingdom Hearts joke in this. **

**Also they're WIRELESS headphones. That's why Shiki could hear the music. I started the song in the middle instead of the beginning. Why? Don't know myself...**

**Review I guess and I hope you liked the fic!**


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